Document

The son of a San Diego police captain was charged with four counts of sexual battery and three other misdemeanors on Friday, more than six weeks after he was accused of groping two women and assaulting a third during an alcohol-fueled rage in Pacific Beach.

The seven-count complaint was filed against Alex Guaderrama, the 23-year-old son of police Capt. Manny Guaderrama, who is himself the son of a former San Diego assistant police chief.

In addition to four counts of sexual battery, Alex Guaderrama was charged with one count each of battery, vandalism and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.

An arrest warrant has been signed, but no future court date has been scheduled, the City Attorney’s Office said. Guaderrama faces up to a year in jail and thousands of dollars in fines if convicted of all charges.

Guaderrama is accused of grabbing the back side of a woman while he waited in line at a taco shop about 1 a.m. on Aug. 21.

According to police, the woman and her friends protested and during a confrontation that ensued, Guaderrama allegedly grabbed another woman’s breast and punched a third woman in the face.

Then he smashed a car window as the girls tried to leave, police said at the time. Guaderrama had a blood-alcohol level of .17, more than double the limit allowed to drive a car.

The police command’s handling of the case generated an outpouring of criticism from rank-and-file officers and the community at large because Guaderrama was not taken to jail.

Instead, he was treated for injuries to his hand and driven unhandcuffed in the front seat of a police cruiser to La Mesa, where he was turned over to his mother.

Police officials defended their decision to permit Guaderrama to go home instead of being booked into jail. They insisted that he received no special treatment as a result of his family connections to the department.

“The captain who made the decision clearly felt it was the most expedient and best way to handle this particular case, and I think he did well,” Chief Bill Lansdowne said. “So there’s your answer.”

Cops on the beat did not agree.

Numerous officers contacted The Watchdog to complain that Guaderrama was given special treatment. They were also alarmed that he was allowed in the front seat of a police car, within inches of the driver’s service weapon.

Police spokeswoman Lt. Andra Brown said the case was handled routinely and forwarded to the City Attorney’s Office for possible charges Sept. 5.

Gina Coburn, spokeswoman for City Attorney Jan Goldsmith, declined to discuss the case because charges are pending in court. In a statement, she said all cases are treated the same.

“Our ethical standard is that charges are filed only if our prosecutors believe we can prove a case beyond a reasonable doubt based upon the evidence presented to us and our own investigation,” she said.

Three separate police-accountability experts told The Watchdog last month that any law enforcement agency accused of favoritism should arrange for an independent investigation -- something Lansdowne has resisted.

Instead, the police chief said his office would take a second look at the events to see whether they were handled appropriately.

Daniel Smiechowski was so bothered by the case that he complained to the Mayor’s Office, the City Attorney’s Office and even to the Clairemont Town Council, where he serves as an elected member.

He said Friday that he had mixed feelings about charges finally being filed.

“I’m not satisfied that it took so long, but I give credit to the community and to everyone involved,” Smiechowski said. “If the community didn’t come around, nothing would have happened.”